The Great Coosa-Alabama River & Valley by William Patrick Lay

The Great Coosa-Alabama River & Valley by William Patrick Lay

William Patrick Lay

1853-1940

William Patrick Lay was born in Cherokee County, Alabama. He received his education from public schools. After he finished schooling, Lay worked as a riverboat pilot and then in the engine department of a railroad shop for about six years. He went on to hold a variety of positions as a locomotive engineer, bookkeeper, estate executor, and more. Notably, Lay was instrumental in building the first blast furnace in Gadsden, built and owned the first electric light plant in Gadsden in 1887, and was instrumental in building a railroad from Gadsden to Anniston in 1888. He also served as president of the hotel company that built the Printup Hotel in Gadsden and contributed greatly in the effort to convince Southern Steel Company to build in Gadsden. In 1903, Lay built and owned the water power plant on Big Wills Creek near Attala. He then ventured into politics, serving two terms on the Gadsden City Council. The first hydroelectric plant built by Alabama Power was renamed the Lay Dam in his honor in 1929. Lay passed away in 1940.

Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, http://alabamaauthors.org

1911

The Great Coosa-Alabama River & Valley. Gadsden, AL; Lay, 1911.

AL Book Collection

Lay, William Patrick, “The Great Coosa-Alabama River & Valley by William Patrick Lay,” Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, accessed November 8, 2026, https://alabamaauthors.org/items/show/24861.